Virtual Wine Tasting A
Six Tips to Hosting a Virtual Wine Tasting 1. Keep Numbers Small: Contact your friends and set up a suitable time that works for everyone. Four to eight people is an ideal number for a virtual tasting. Anything more than 10 and the virtual space gets a little crowded and conversations become hard to follow. Once you’ve set a date, you can send a calendar invite so that each friend has it in his or her diaries. Put aside two hours or so for the tasting. Be flexible with the timings, and let those who want to jump off early or stick around longer feel free to do so.
3. Choose a Platform: Once you’re all set up with your chosen device, it’s time to choose an application. Two of the most popular choices are Zoom and FaceTime. This is mostly because both options are very user-friendly and free. If you’ve never used either of these, there are plenty of online tutorials and videos to help you set up a group call. If just the thought of switching on a laptop has your head spinning, ask a tech-savvy son, daughter or neighbour to help out. Naturally, a glass of wine makes a good bribe (if they’re over 18).
2. Pick Your Tech: Any smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera will do. A smartphone or tablet is easier if you want to move around during the call, but if you want to stay put at your dining room table or kitchen island, a laptop is ideal. Just be sure that your device is updated to the most recent operating system so that apps will run smoothly. Make sure your device is fully charged and keep your cables close by in case you need to boost your battery during the tasting.
4. Choose Your Wine: Next, choose wines that you’d like to taste throughout your virtual tasting. Perhaps you want to pick a couple of the same varietals or maybe the same wine from different vintages. Start with tasting 4-8 wines. You’ll want to send the wines to friends or give them a list to acquire their own a few days ahead of the tasting. The Wine-of-the-Month Club’s customer service team can help you select wines and deliver them straight to each participant’s home.
5. Have Glassware Ready: Yup, you’ll need a different glass for each wine. If they don’t match, no one will see (perhaps a bonus of a virtual tasting). Since you’re all at home and won’t have to drive anywhere afterwards you don’t have to use a spittoon (and that’s an even bigger bonus). Oh, and don’t forget to have a couple of dry crackers to help cleanse your palate in between tastings. 6. Take Notes: For a little extra fun, take notes on the wines you are tasting. Jot down things you notice while swirling and sipping your way through each wine. You can also email your friends free tasting note templates that are easy enough to find and download online. This way you can all take note of the same things as you make your way through the wines. Don’t take everything too seriously. Enjoy catching up with friends and chatting while tasting. Don’t have too many rules, as it will start to feel stiff. Let the wine and conversation flow. Don’t put pressure on yourself to host the best virtual tasting of all time. There will be tech glitches; cats in front of the screens and Marg will keep talking even tough her mic is muted. See how it unfolds and change things up as you go. Who knows, maybe this becomes a weekly or monthly social distancing get-together. And wine not?
Illustration by: Chloe Damstra
mid an ever-changing landscape, the only thing certain is that we need to get creative when it comes to doing the things we love. With a strong emphasis on staying home and social distancing still in place, virtual wine tastings are the in-thing. Thanks to the likes of Zoom and FaceTime, we can still socialise and sip wines with friends from the safety of our sanitised homes. Plus, some smart wine farms are adapting their offerings to suit our new COVID way of life. To help you out (and help you stay sane) we map out a few tips on how to host your own virtual wine tasting below. All you need is a couple of friends, a few bottles of wine, a notepad, a laptop, and you’re all set.
